The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-02-05

Descriptlon Df the Famous m
sian Penal settlement.
For nearly two centuries 6iberi
has been famous, or infamous as
place for Punishment for those VIII
offend against the social Or polit
cal laws of Russia. Peter the Grea
began the transportation of crimi
nails in Siberia in 171O; previous +
that date the country had beef
used as a land of Punishment 70
Officials whom the government
wished to get out of the way with
out putting them to death, but tn,
number of these deported individ
uals was not large. Ever sine,
Peters day the work of exiting
criminals to Siberia has been KEPT
up; the ordinary travel of this sort
is about 10000 annually, and some
times it reaches as high as 12,OOC
or 1900. Outside of this deporta-
ton is that of revolutionists, nihi-
lists and others who offend politi-
cally rather than criminally, though
any opposition to the autocratic
power Of the Gear is likely to be
regarded as criminal in the eyes OF
the Russian government. After
every revolution in Poland the
number of exiles is rapidly aug
mented. In the year following the
revolt of 1868, 24,OOO Poles were
sent to Siberia, and for two or three
years afterward there were from
10000 to 10000 unhappy lovers of
independence who travelled the same
route.
Sometimes the political criminals
are mingled with the criminals, but
ordinarily they are kept apart. In
former times the prisoners were
compelled to walk to their destina-
tons, and the journey from ST.
Petersburg to the regions beyond
Lake Baikai, a distance of nearly
1900 miles, occupied two years,
and sometimes more, and many of
the exiles died on the road from
fatigue and privations. 1t was
found more economical to trans
port the offenders in wagons and
sleighs, or by rail and steamboat
when possible, than to require them
to walk, and for the last twenty
years or more fve-sixths of the
exiles have been carried in this
way. AT points varying from ten
to twenty miles apart along the
great road through Siberia there
are houses for the Judgment of pris-
Oners at night. They afford a shell
ter from the weather, but very little
else, as they are almost always bad
ly ventilated and very dirty, and
occupants sleep on the bare floor
Or benches, without any other COW
sring than the clothes they wear.
in summer the officer
n charge of a convoy of prisoners
will permit them to sleep out of
loors at night, instead of entering
he filthy stations, but in such a ,
'ase he requires the personal prom /,
Sc of every exile in the convoy that
le will make no attempt to escape, !;
md he furthermore makes the whole )
'arty responsible for individual .
onduct. Under such circumstan- !;
es if one of the prisoners should !;
iolate his parole and run away, i
70 further favors would be shown q
D the rest, and they would be put .
n low rations of food and otherwise y
finished. 1t is needless to say \
hey take good care that the prom 4
'e is kept. This privilege is ac- ?
orded only to the conveys of po-
tical offenders. The criminal
lasses are not considered worthy
{ such confidence in their honor. L
Prison life in Siberia is of many "a
arieties, according to the offenses !,
f different individuals and the sem ~
'nces which have been decreed in !;
leir cases. The lowest sentence is al
} simple Punishment for three Il
ears, and the highest to hard labor 3,
r life. The simple exile without n
nprisonment is appointed to live i
certain town, district or prov $,
ce, and must report to the police n,
stated intervals. He may engage Il
certain specified occupations, or 4,
theri any occupation which is not tC
4 a prohibited list; for example, II
may teach music or painting, in
1t he may not teach languages, ass a
ey afford the opportunity for n,
'opagating revolutionary ideas. cs
e may become a merchant, farmer. Il,
echanic, contractor, or anything
Sc Of that sort, and it not infre- W
lently happens that exiles enjoy m
degree Of prosperity in their new al
'mes that they did not have in ca
lropean Russia. Exiles and their h,
ms have become millionaires in y,
IBERIA; former Vanderbilt of ci
kootsk, the capital Of eastern ST. dc
ria, was the SON Of an exile serf, hi
8 enormous fortune having been ar
ined in the overland tea trade. h,
any exiles become so attached to \
IBERIA that they remain there after dc
cir term Of Punishment is ended, be
t it should be understood that
cir cases are the exceptions rather